Preserving the heartfelt wishes of Ut Bach Lan

In the fourth lunar month, the season of Buddha's birthday, the White Orchid group of artists diligently performs at temples. They are a group that continues the aspirations of the late artist Ut Bach Lan.

Artist Ut Bach Lan performing at a charity event - Photo: provided by artist To Chau

Artist Tô Châu – the last adopted child of artist Út Bạch Lan and the person she trusted to manage the White Orchid group after her death – recalled that this was a singing group founded by Út Bạch Lan around 1995.

30 years, a journey of philanthropy.

In the world of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera), artist Ut Bach Lan is known as the "soulful female voice" with her melancholic, emotional tone and extremely subtle acting.

She was once a companion in both her career and personal life with the renowned singer Thanh Duoc. Although they have separated, the beautiful memories of the talented artists Thanh Duoc and Ut Bach Lan remain vivid in the minds of those who love Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera).

Originally a street singer from Long An province, Ut Bach Lan gradually rose to become a famous actress in the Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) scene thanks to her gifted voice.

Her life was sad because she ended her life without a husband or children, but with her talent and character, Ut Bach Lan remained an artist respected by her peers and audiences. Many artists became her adopted children, such as artist Phuong Hong Thuy and playwright Hoang Song Viet.

Ut Bach Lan always remembered her impoverished background, so she dedicated much of her time to charitable work. She frequently visited remote areas to distribute gifts and build bridges for poor people.

On those occasions, people often asked the artists to "sing for fun," so Ut Bach Lan formed a group of artists, and every time they did charity work, they organized a warm and cozy musical performance to entertain the community.

Then everyone suggested naming the group White Orchid, which was chosen as the stage name of Mrs. Ut Bach Lan and also the name of the traditional song White Orchid that composer Vien Chau wrote specifically for Ut Bach Lan.

Her good deeds earned her the affection and support of many artists, who joined the group, including artists like Ut Tra On, Thanh Nguyet, Bich Phuong, Minh Tai, and Dieu Hien...

Besides performing for charity, the White Orchid group regularly performs at temples. Artist Ut Bach Lan personally pays for transportation and food for the members, and the artists participate voluntarily without demanding any compensation.

At each location, depending on the circumstances, the temple would send gifts to the artists. Some places sent sticky rice cakes, others sent 50,000 or 100,000 dong, but everyone was happy because they were contributing to making the world a better place together with Ut Bach Lan.

In her final years, despite her failing health, whenever she was called upon to perform for charity, Ut Bach Lan would eagerly organize it. She would worry about what gifts to bring for the poor, how to organize the entertainment, and so on.

Artists Ut Bach Lan and To Chau perform excerpts from Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) at a temple - Photo: provided by artist To Chau

Continuing the wishes of Aunt Ut

During a five-month tour in America, seeing To Chau's hard work and perseverance, Ut Bach Lan visited To Chau's mother upon her return and said, "Please let me adopt her as my youngest daughter." The mother-daughter bond between Ut Bach Lan and To Chau has been strong ever since.

Speaking to Tuoi Tre newspaper, To Chau said he was moved by Ut Bach Lan's kindness and dedication to her profession and to life. She said that artists must be grateful to the audience for their love and support. Therefore, she saved up money from her performances to donate to charity as a way of repaying life and her audience.

"We were young, so we got to participate in the White Orchid group later on. I'll always remember the image of Mom and Ms. Dieu Hien singing for charity in Gia Lai . After a long journey in the car, we were all exhausted, but Mom and Ms. Hien were perfectly fine, laughing heartily: 'Doing charity work makes you feel healthy, but staying home all the time makes you sick!' That's why we used to jokingly call Mom and Ms. Dieu Hien 'Ly Duc'!", To Chau recalled.

He said that around 2013, his aunt Bach Lan asked everyone to go sing for charity at a temple outside Vung Tau, but when they arrived, it was deserted. It turned out they had been invited the following month, but his aunt had mistakenly remembered it was this month.

When she got home, her mother called Tô Châu over and said, "I'm old now, my health is failing, and my memory is getting muddled. Every time I make these mistakes, it's both costly and a waste of the artist's time. So, you take over managing White Orchid for me!" And so, from then on, Tô Châu handled all the affairs of White Orchid.

Hoa Lan Trắng now features many more artists such as Thanh Sử, Phương Huệ, Chí Cường, Hồng Lan, Kim Phụng, Lý Thu, Trương Anh Đào, Nhật Nguyên...

With the addition of artist Thoại Miêu, she returned to sing many of the roles previously performed by artist Út Bạch Lan, and also acted as an older sister figure, guiding the other artists on behalf of Út Bạch Lan. Thanks to Út Bạch Lan's decades of hard work, the Hoa Lan Trắng troupe has built a reputation and earned much love and respect.

The group performs continuously during every Buddha's Birthday and Vu Lan season, not to mention other scattered shows throughout the year.

Tô Châu and other artists cherish the fact that the group bears the name of a talented and respected artist, so they are always careful to preserve the reputation of the late artist Út Bạch Lan, continuing her wishes and sharing love with the community.

One night in November 2016, with only weak breaths left, Mrs. Ut whispered to To Chau: "Gifts, gifts for the children."

She was referring to preparing gifts for a charity trip to Vinh Long at the end of November that year to help children affected by Agent Orange and elderly people with disabilities. Just a few minutes later, she hiccuped a few times and passed away.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gin-giu-tam-nguyen-ut-bach-lan-20250516090145857.htm